Safety-catch.



S. A. ASQUITH.

SAFETY CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26| 191s.

1,Q2%,531 5D Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

INVENTOR x' w 1 l WITNESSES w I f ATTORNEY mamas PETER: co.. puom nno WASHINGIUN: u c.

STEAI) A. ASQUITH, OF VJATERLOO, IGWA.

SAFETY-CATCH.

Application filed January 26, 1816.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEAL) A. AsQUrrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVaterloo, in the county of Black Hawk and State of Towa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Catches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety catches for breast pins, bar pins and brooches and has for its primary object to provide a clasp for the pin that will be positively locked and may be easily released therefrom by simple movement of the thumb nail.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a clasp for a fastening pin that will consist of a single element which is made up by the locking and releasing means, the device as a whole consisting of but few parts.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a safety catch which consists of comparatively few parts and is simple in construction, but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage, to which devices of this character are ordinarily subjected.

For a full description of the invention and the advantages and merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention, in which;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bar pin showing the clasp mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a section showing the modification of the device as on the bar pin.

Fig. 4 is a section illustrating the clasp as it is employed as a fastening means for a neck chain.

The bar 1 has mounted thereon at one end thereof the support 2 upon which is pivoted the pin 3 in any preferred manner. The clasp is provided with a base 4: which is securely fastened to the bar 1, and is pro vided with upstanding ears 5 formed from the angularly bent wall of the pin hook 6. A pivoting space 7 is thereby formed be tween the ears 5 in which is mounted the catch 8. An opening 9 is provided in the rear wall of the hook 6 into which the clasp 8 is adapted to partly extend.

The ears 5 are provided with apertures through which is extended a pivot pin 10 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. it), TQM.

Serial No. 74,458.

and upon which is mounted the catch memher 8 which consists of a single piece of material in the form of a bell crank lever, the arms 11 and 12 of which have the aperture through which the pivot pin 10 is extended, at their m eting point. The arm 12 is of a greater length than the arm 11 and is bent upon itself as at 18 to provide a flat spring 14 which extends backwardly and beneath the arm 12 and has its end projected into the opening 9. The arm 11 should be of a length equal to the distance from the pivot point to the free end of the hook 6 and the pin 3 is adapted to be received by the hook and retained in position by the lever 11. It will be noticed that the catch 8 is formed of a single piece of material including both the retaining member and the sgring element for exerting the necessary pressure to retain the sin 3 within the hook.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the base l and the hook 6 are of identical formation with the first mentioned form, eX- cept that the opening 9 is not included. A small aperture 9 is pr vided, and the catch 8 is of a similar formation to the form above described, excepting that the flat spring 142 is upwardly curved as at 15 and is pro vided at its end with a finger 16 which is adapted to be inserted within the aperture 9. By this method of construction a greater tension is provided upon the flat spring 14- and the bar 11 is further assured against displacement by accidental striking of the pin against an object.

In both of these formations, the method of opening the catch for releasing the pin is the same. This is accomplished by inserting the thumb nail beneath the member 14: at the point 13 where the arm is bent and exerting a slight upward pressure on the thumb nail against the flat spring 14 whereby the arm 11 will be swung into and under the hook 6, thus providing an opening between the free end of the hook 6 and the bar 11, through which the pin 3 may be dropped to a re- I leased position. When it is desired to catch the pin within the clasp, it is only necessary to force the pin against the lever arm 11 and into the space created by the hook 6, whereby the lever arm will spring back into the locked position shown by the figures in the drawing.

In Fig. 4, I have shown a still further modification in which the catch is adapted to be employed as a clasp for a neck chain,

this comprises a casing for the catch, the lower end of which has an aperture 16 for the reception of a link of the neck chain and the side walls of the casing are employed as ears 17 for the pivot pin 10 of the catch. The usual hook 6 is provided at the top of the casing and the catch consists of a lever 11 pivoted at 10 at its enlarged end, and extending from the enlarged end or" the le ver at a point opposite to the lever 11, and at right angles to the lever is the push rod 18 which is bent at right angles as at 19 and again rearwardly to provide a finger 20. The member 18 extends through an aperture 21 formed in the rear of the casing and a recess 22' is provided on the inner wall of the casing and extending into the aperture 21, for the reception of the finger 20.

The link of the chain is adapted to be caught under the hook 6 and retained therein by the member 11, and by reason of the finger 20 secured in the recess 22 provided for it, the resiliency created by the construction of the members 18 and 19 is imparted to the lever 11 through the medium of the pivot point 10 thereby holding the member 11 in engagement with the. free end of the hook 6. By pressing upon the member 19 with the finger, the member 11 is turned on its pivot so that it extends under the link of chain far enough to allow a space for the extraction of the link of the chain. I I g I claim:

1. A safety catch comprising a flat hook having its side edges provided with angularly extending ears for forming a pivot space between the cars, a pivot pin extending across the said space and mounted in the said ears, a catch member mounted upon the said pin and including a bell crank lever having one end engageable with the terminal of the said hook, and resilient means in the form of a flat spring integrally formed with and bent from the opposite end of the said bell crank lever for holding the said lever in position to close the space between the pin and the terminal of the said hook.

2. A safety catch comprising a flat hook having its side edges provided with angularly extending ears for forming a pivot space between the ears, a pivot pin extending across the said space and mounted in the said ears a catch member mounted upon the said pin and including a bell crank lever having one end engageable with the terminal of the said hook, resilient means in the form of a flat spring integrally formed with and bent from the opposite end of the said bell crank lever for holding the said lever in position to close the space between the pin and the terminal of the said hook, the said hook including a base having its surface engaged by the said fiat spring, the straight portion of the hook being provided with an opening for the reception of the end of the said flat spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' STEAD A. ASQUITH. l/Vitnesses:

ALVIN J. Born, A. M. SUNDBY,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

